Toy with magnetically operated striking members



Oct. 29, 1968 c, R. LUCHSINGER 3,408,072

TOY WITH MAGNETICALLY OPERATED STRIKING MEMBERS Filed May 19, 1965INVENIOR. Char/66 ,8. lac/2510961" Ar/hur 4. March United States Patent3,408,072 TOY WITH MAGNETICALLY OPERATED STRIKING MEMBERS Charles R.Luchsinger, Glen Cove, N.Y., assignor to The Luchland Company,Newfoundland, N ..I., a partnership Filed May 19, 1965, Ser. No. 457,0401 Claim. (Cl. 273-108) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Oval shaped pelletsweighted at one end and propelled into apertured targets in a game boardby a striking member. The striking member has a rounded magnetized baseand outstretched wings. These wings impact against the pellets. Thestriking member is moved by a magnetic control stick which interactswith the magnets of the striking member.

This invention relates to a magnetically operated toy comprising pelletsand magnetic striking means therefor together with magnetic actuatingmembers for controlling the operation of the striking members.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a toy inwhich skill of operation is a factor in using the toy to play a game butin which a certain erratic operation of the components producesspontaneous, anomalous results that greatly enhance the enjoyment of thetoy and at the same time provide an additional requirement for skill onthe part of the players. Further objects will become apparenthereinafter.

The toy with which the present invention is concerned comprisesbasically a playing board or surface with one or more target areas andone or more pellets disposed about the surface of the board. Alsodisposed on the board is at least one striking member which has apermanent magnet as one of its component parts and one or more arms withwhich the pellet or pellets may be struck. Each striking member iscontrolled by at least one control member operated by at least one ofthe players and placed beneath the board. The control members also havemagnets that provide fields interacting with the magnetic field of thestriking members so that motion of the control members determine more orless precisely the way that the striking members will move. In general,the object of the game is for each player to move a control memberbeneath the board so as to control one of the striking members andthereby hit or push one or more of the pellets to a predetermined targetarea. Certain modifications of the game will be spelled out in detailhereinafter.

The invention will be described in connection with the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the toy or game ofthis invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toy or game of FIG. 1.

The toy of FIG. 1 includes a playing board 11 having a raised rim 12 andcorner legs 13 to hold the play board 11 off of a surface, such as atable or the floor or any other suitable support. On the board 11 aretwo striking members 14 and 14a, each comprising a rounded base 16 and16a and a figure, which in the present embodiment is in the form of achicken 17 and 17a with outstretched wings 18 and 19 for the member 14and 18a and 19a for the member 14a. The striking members 14 and 14:!also include permanent magnets which are not visible in FIG. 1.

Several pellets 21-24 are disposed about the surface 3,408,072 PatentedOct. 29, 1968 ice of the board 11, and in the present embodiment thesepellets are oval-shaped to represent eggs; although for otherembodiments of the game different forms of pellets may be used.Preferably these pellets are weighted at one end so as to be heavy in anasymmetrical manner and thereby increase the erratic courses to befolded when these pellets are struck by the outstretched wings, orextensions, 18 and 19 of the member 14 or the wings-18a and 19a of themember 14a.

Three target areas are shown on the board 11 in the form of threeapertures 26-28. In the present embodiment these apertures representnests to receive the pellets 21-24. If desired, the target apertures2628 may be numbered or their rims colored to correspond to certain ofthe pellets 21-24, and the striking members 14 and 14a may also becorrespondingly colored. However, it is not essential to the basicinvention that any particular coloring relation be followed.

The striking memebrs 14 and 1411 are moved about by control members 29and 31 of which only the handles are visible in FIG. 1. These controlmembers include magnets that interact with the magnets in the strikingmembers 14 and 14a to move the latter about the surface of the board 11and to cause the wings 18, 19 and 18a, 19a to push or strike the pellets2124 and eventually to direct these pellets into the target apertures2628.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toy of FIG. 1 and betterillustartes the arrangement and relationship of the control member 29and the striking member 14a. As may be seen, the base 16a of thestriking member 14a is hemispherical in shape and is weighted down to besure that it remains in contact with the surface of the board 11 andthat the respective striking members 14 and 14a do not topple over. Partof the weight may be furnished by a permanent magnet of alnico or one ofthe ferrite permanent magnetic materials and indicated by referencecharacter 32a.

The control member 29 includes a permanent magnet 33 the magnetic fieldof which coacts with the magnetic field of the magnet 32a either torepel or to retract the striking member 14a and thus to permit thestriking member to be guided, at least crudely, around the surface ofthe board 11 by means of the control member 29. At the same time theinteraction of these magnetic fields provides means for causing theextensions 18a and 19a to strike the pellets of which only the pellets23 and 24 are shown.

If the game is used as a competitive game in which two or more playersattempt to cause designated pellets to drop into designated aperturetargets of which only the apertures 26 and 28 are shown in this figure,the striking members, of which there were usually but one for eachplayer, may be guided by the respective control members of the playerseither to cause that players pellet to fall into its designated targetapertures or to force an opponents pellet to be diverted away from itsdesignated target area. The game may be played with many variations ofthe rules to provide either simpler or more complex games so as toadjust the degree of difiiculty to the skill of those playing andthereby make the game suitable for people of different skill or agelevels.

While the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodimentit will be recognized by those skilled in the art that modifications maybe made therein within the scope of the claim.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising: a playing board having a plurality of target areasand a ridge around the perimetre of said board; a plurality ofoval-shaped pellets disposable on said board,-tsaidlpelletsbeingweighted atone end; a plurality A of striking members disposable onsaid board each comprising a permanent magnet, a hemispherically roundedbase, and a pair of outstretched wings, said rounded base being weighteddown to prevent said striking member from toppling over; and a pluralityof control members, each comprising a control magnet and a handle tomove said magnet beneath said board into the vicinity of and beneathsaid striking members whereby the magnetic field oisaid-control magnetinteracts with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet of at leastone of said striking members to move said striking member to cause thewings thcreofto strike at'zleast one of said pellets.

. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 665,861 1/1901 Armbruster273-115 1,384,057 7/1921 Fleet 273 1 1,630,137 5/1927 Ruwwe 461552,716,028 8/1955 Yeager "273-4 FOREIGN PATENTS 761,345 11/1956 GreatBritain.

RICHARD c. PINKHAM; Primary Examiner.

T. ZACK, Assistant Examiner. I

